You will have fun with your new venture. Hot weather herbs and certain varieties of tomatoes will do well in pots on your balcony. Strawberries are likely to be a challenge since your situation may be too warm and dry. Basil should thrive for you. There are helpful forums that can address your need for information about pots, soil, feeding, and watering. Three GW forums of value for information include Small Spaces / Urban Gardening, Balcony Gardening, and Container Gardening. Also, I would engage your neighbors and discuss what works best for them. Start observing what other people near your residence grow on their balconies that is herbal and edible. Enjoy!

I grow my strawberries in window boxes. If you can afford a Grow box they do really well in them. I use straw as a mulch to keep them from rotting. Do they have Agricultural centers over there? I get alot of good information from there. You could probably google Solutions For Your Life. It has alot of good gardening articles on it. Good luck! Happy Gardening!

While it is not a problem I generally have in my climate, you may need shade if it gets really hot on your balcony. The sun can literally bake the plants. Always see what other gardeners (even those with only balconies!) do where you live. Take some cues from what works for others.

FataMorgana

Are you already there? Or planning from afar? I'm sure you will find a wide range of lovely teracotta pots available and there is no worry about frost damage. Also think about a citrus tree. The mandarins there are unbelievable. In the spring some pots of narcissus are a must. The smell is gorgeous. Basil will love it too. Bay and rosemary may well not be worth growing as they will be all over the place anyway. Watch out if you dig any soil to put into pots as there is widespread infestation of Bermuda Buttercup (Oxalis pes caprae). There are plenty of nurseries and garden centres to pick up supplies, plants and seeds. As fatamorgana says - ask the locals. They know all about growing in their region. Loads of Brits retire there so gardening is big.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Centres